Head of Chomesh Yeshivah Arrested Week After Deadly Attack

Rabbi Elishama Cohen, the head of the yeshivah at Chomesh, was arrested on Wednesday by the police on suspicion of violating the Disengagement Law.

The arrest occurred less than a week after a deadly terror attack in the area in which Yehuda Dimentman, Hy”d, a student of the yeshivah, was shot dead by an Islamic Jihad terrorist, and two others were wounded.

During the 2005 disengagement, Israel evicted from the Gaza Strip and four communities in northern Shomron, including Chomesh. Israeli leaders have since called for the return to the area, and a yeshivah exists in Chomesh.

However, the Disengagement Law has yet to be repealed and therefore presence in the area could constitute a breach of the law.

Following the intervention of Shomron Council Chairman Yossi Dagan, Rabbi Cohen was released from custody. It was agreed that he would arrive after the shivah for interrogation on suspicion of violating the Disengagement Law.

Rabbi Cohen has been teaching at Chomesh for several years and has never been arrested.

The arrest comes amid rumors that the government is planning to destroy the yeshivah after the shivah for Dimentman is over.

On Sunday, the police blocked the students’ access to the yeshivah and leveled several structures erected at the site the night before.

Some at the Chomesh yeshivah accused Prime Minister Naftali Bennett of “placing the Disengagement Law back to the table – a reward for the murderers.”